#3 Second season syndrome
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Enough paeans have been written about Antonio Conte’s genius and how he transformed an underperforming side into champions, and the Italian manager rightly deserves all the credit. Conte has come up trumps against his fellow star managers in what was termed as the ‘Battle of Managers’, and his 3-4-3 system has outfoxed and outwitted the likes of Mourinho, Klopp, Pochettino, Guardiola and Wenger.
But, the former Italy and Juventus manager will know that he will have a tougher task at hand next season. Most teams will have figured out a way to counter the system and may have already started devising ways to defeat Chelsea.
No team has also successfully defended their Premier League title since Manchester United’s three back-to-back titles from 2006-09; Conte and Co. will have their work cut out with the other top clubs gunning to get one over the Blues.
A hugely successful campaign like the current one can cause complacency to set in, in even the best teams in the world – the Chelsea team of 2015-16 is the perfect example of such a mindset plaguing a team.
Conte’s fellow managers will also have a transfer war chest to strengthen their squads and pose a serious challenge to Chelsea.
And with Mourinho and Guardiola managing in the league – two iconic managers that the best players in the world may want to work with – as well as the charisma of Klopp, the Italian manager may also miss out on transfer targets to rival teams.
